Atlas study: Delaware remains a moving out state

Delaware remained a move-out state in 2017, based on a yearly report from Atlas Van Lines.

The ranking is nothing new with Delaware listed as an outbound state since 2007, with 2012 being the only exception. Delaware has seen an outflow of higher paying corporate jobs that often come with benefits such as the payment of moving expenses.

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The 2017 Atlas Van Lines Migration Patterns study found that 11 U.S. states registered a change in migration status over 2016 results.

The study also found that 23 states registered as balanced — meaning that moves in and out of the states were roughly equal.

Another moving study from North American Moving Services did not have a ranking for Delaware, but reported that the state had a nearly equal number of inbound and outbound moves.

The Atlas data showed a decrease in moves in 2017. The company has conducted the study since 1993 to track the nation’s interstate (between states) and cross-border (U.S. to Canada) moving patterns annually as reflected in moves handled by Atlas.

The 10 U.S. states with the highest percentage of inbound moves and outbound moves are included in order below, and Idaho is the study’s inbound leader for a second year in a row. Illinois has the highest percentage of outbound moves in the country in 2017.

Inbound Outbound

Idaho (65.1 percent) 1. Illinois (62.4 percent)

Washington (62.5 percent 2. W. Virginia (60.4 percent)

Nevada (62.4 percent) 3. Nebraska (60.3 percent)

Tennessee (60.6 percent) 4. S.Dakota (59.9 percent)

Alaska (60.4 percent) 5. Hawaii (59.8 percent)

Maine (59.7 percent) 6. Indiana (59.7 percent)

North Carolina (59.3 percent) 7. Delaware (59.6 percent)

Oregon (57.5 percent) 8. New York (59.2 percent)

Alabama (57.0 percent) 9. Louisiana (57.9 percent)

Rhode Island (55.7 percent) 10. Kansas (57.7 percent)

Former inbound states New Hampshire, Michigan and Florida became balanced in 2017, ending Florida’s former three-year streak of classifying as inbound. After spending 2016 as balanced states, Maine, Rhode Island, Alabama and Nevada became inbound while New Jersey, Oklahoma and Hawaii shifted to outbound. Vermont changed from outbound to balanced in 2017.